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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: squash · game · wound · cell · bound · net · arm · spring

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. cell — in biology
  4. wound — an injury
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. squash — to crush
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. bound — certain
  9. game — wild animals
  10. bound — tied together
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. net — after costs
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. net — in sport
  15. spring — of water
  16. game — a match
  17. squash — the sport
  18. spring — the season
  19. cell — a phone
  20. bound — obliged
  21. net — for catching
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. spring — a coil
  24. wound — an injury

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com